In case you were wondering what kind of movie is this, the answers lie in the title. It’s not Shoot Them Up, it’s Shoot ‘Em Up, announcing the bloodshed that’s about to happen. This is one of those guilty pleasure movies with a lot of action and sleek visuals. Michael Davis created a totally over-the-top movie, full of really creative action sequences (who knew you could use a carrot as a weapon) and humor. Of course, you couldn’t do this without the humor because the whole thing would just look silly. Just imagine the opening scene done like in some super serious movie and you’ll know what I’m talking about.
Usually, movies like this are low-budget efforts with wobbly plots and anonymous actors. This is certainly not the case here. Clive, Paul, Monica, and fucking Stephen McHattie (Pontypool) were all great. Clive probably needed something more relaxed after his last movie that was quite difficult (Children of Men). I just wanted to say that all this effort would be in vain if the actors tried to go solo on this one. We were lucky and all of them knew how to gauge the intensity of their performance to perfectly suit Shoot Em Up’s zany style. On the other hand, Paul Giamatti’s delightfully unhinged performance as the villain Hertz was simply stellar.
There was a drifter that went by the name Smith. A drifter who might not be rich but at least he didn’t try to kill anyone. This was not the case with a strange thug chasing a pregnant woman just meters from him. Smith just could not let this slide, so he engages the man, eventually killing him in the most unusual way. Just when he thought that the ordeal is over, more thugs show up and the woman goes into labor. What happens after this is up to you to find out.
As you probably guessed from these opening scenes this is one strange and fun movie. So don’t think too much and indulge those dark and deep urges. I mean, for fucks sake, have you ever seen a man delivering a baby during a shootout? The writers were fully aware of the absurdity of the whole situation and they reveled in it. I think that the closest comparison is the Crank series starring Jason Statham, but that movie seems coherent and tame when compared to Shoot ‘Em Up. Another movie you might wanna check after this one is MacGruber, with over-the-top action and a lot of humor. Too bad Micheal Davis kinda fell off the face of the Earth after this movie, it would be interesting to see more of him.
Director: Michael Davis
Writer: Michael Davis
Cast: Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti, Monica Bellucci, Stephen McHattie
Fun Stuff: Body Count is 106 with 15 gallons of fake blood accompanying the bloodbath.
Rating:
IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0465602/
